"Daddy dropped his cell phone -- and slammed on his brakes!"
Oct 02 '00 (Updated Oct 04 '00)
Today, I'm working from home because I'm caring for a 14-year-old who has what the emergency room doctor called "severe whiplash." Friday night, they were just going out for some ice cream. My husband was driving his 1991 Jeep home, and he and our daughter were wearing their seat belts, as always.
They weren't far from home, and my husband braked because a car in front of him had to make a left turn. He saw the other car's headlights gaining on him -- fast -- from behind. Then WHAM! The back of the driver's seat broke and fell backward. "I was looking at the ceiling so fast I couldn't believe it," my husband said, and temporarily lost control of the vehicle. He escaped with neck strain, according the the ER doctor who examined him.
My daughter, who was holding her ice cream, pitched forward. She felt the pull in her shoulder and neck muscles, and her glasses flew off her face, landing in the tailgate of the 4 x 4, along with her ice cream (which landed upright) and baseball cap.
Our Jeep was shoved into the back of the small car that was attempting to turn left. The man who rear-ended our Jeep was saved by his airbags, which deployed on both the driver's and passenger's sides. He had two little girls in the back seat, who were also wearing seat belts. The horn of his car was blaring and wouldn't stop.
Thank God, it was fairly quickly determined that no one needed immediate medical attention. My nearsighted daughter groped through the dark Jeep for her glasses, finally finding them.
The police arrived and began taking statements, even though what had happened was apparent to the casual viewer. The driver of the car that started the chain reaction was talking to his wife, who came to the scene since all cars involved were not driveable -- and to check on her children, of course. My daughter and the man's daughter were talking to the police officer, who was taking notes.
"Daddy's cell phone rang, then he dropped it and was looking for it -- then he had to slam on his brakes," the child cheerfully volunteered. We don't know if her father told the officer the same thing or not. In any case, the man admitted he was at fault.
Damage to our Jeep was thorough: smashed rear (the gas tank held well), destroyed quarterpanels, crushed front grille, bent frame, the broken back of the driver's seat, bumpers merged into wheel wells. The damage to the small car in front of the Jeep was a crushed trunk and destroyed rear window.
"There was just glass all over the place," my husband said. They arrived home safely, but both were feeling sore. I took my daughter to the hospital ER early the next morning, where they examined her muscles, took x-rays (no broken bones), gave her a soft collar to make her more comfortable, prescribed Ibuprofen and rest for several days. She's holding up well, but it tugs at my heartstrings (and makes me angry) to watch her slowly and cautiously upright herself because of her shoulder and neck pain. At the same time, I'm incredibly grateful that it's not worse -- she should be back to normal in a few days.
The moral of the story? If your cell phone rings and you're moving in traffic, ignore it! Most cell phones now have caller ID on them (mine does). You can redial the number and call them back to see what they wanted when you're stopped, or even better -- when you get home.
Don't learn the lesson the hard way -- we haven't even started talking to our insurance companies yet!
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MsHooterville
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Member: Ms Hooterville
Location: Hooterville Green Acres USA
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News and feature writer, graphic designer and artist, wife and mother, small business owner.
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